An Post named as new sponsor for Irish Book Awards

An Post has signed a three year headline sponsorship agreement with the Irish Book Awards, heralding a new chapter in the history of one of Ireland’s most distinguished and popular literary events.

Now in its 13th year, the Irish Book Awards brings together the entire literary community – readers, authors, booksellers, publishers and librarians. The Awards consist of a range of categories including Novel of the Year, Children’s, Cookery, Crime Fiction, Popular Fiction, Nonfiction, Sports, Short Story, Poetry and Teen and Young Adult. This year, a new Irish Language category is being added to the roster of awards. It will be entitled ‘The Love Leabhar Gaeilge Irish Language Book of the Year’.

With this new partnership, An Post will support authors, publishers, booksellers, local bookshops, authors, postal and post office staff in bringing the gift and joy of reading and sharing books to people of all ages and interests.

David McRedmond, CEO atAn Post, says: “At the heart of An Post is the written word, and we are honoured to be able to sponsor the Irish Book Awards. Books connect people as An Post connects people, and we share is a love for connection and community. ‘Readers Wanted’ is the cry of the Awards this year and we will support this across our business with enthusiasm and creativity.”

Maria Dickenson, Chairperson of the Irish Book Awards, says: “This new partnership with An Postis a wonderful fit. We are delighted to team up with a nationally recognised brand that will help us to spread the word about reading and put more books in the hands of readers. It is also a fantastic opportunity to help us highlight even more the wealth of wonderful writing talent in Ireland. The Irish Book Awards have become a landmark event in the Irish bookselling calendar, supported by the entire industry and, with An Post on board as the headline sponsor, we will bring the event to an exciting new level, celebrating the vibrancy of the Irish book business.”

The winners of the Irish Book Awards are announced at an annual awards ceremony in Dublin every November – an event which has become one of the premier events in the Irish literary calendar. Presidents, Taoisigh, Nobel Laureates, and most of the best writers in Ireland have attended this unique celebration of Irish literature. The event is also broadcast to the nation on RTÉ television.

In addition to category winners, two very special awards are also announced at the event. The Bob Hughes Lifetime Achievement Award recognises the contribution of distinguished Irish writers and poets, and winners have included Seamus Heaney, Edna O Brien, John Montague, John McGahern, John Banville, Eavan Boland and Maeve Binchy, JP Donleavy, Paul Durcan, Jennifer Johnson and William Trevor.

The International Recognition Award is a special award made to international authors who have contributed substantially to the health and wealth of the Irish book-trade. Previous winners include David Walliams, Jilly Cooper, Bill Bryson and Jeffrey Archer.

Submissions for The An Post Irish Book Awards 2018 are now being accepted via www.irishbookawards.ie and every publisher in Ireland is invited to nominate books for the publicly voted categories. The closing date for applications is Friday, September 7th.